1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention constitutes an improvement over prior water cut monitors in that it provides oil, water and gas volume flow rates. In particular, a three phase flow water cut monitor is used in series with a volume flow meter and corrects the flow meter by using the water cut monitor three phase flow fluid data.
2. The Prior Art
There are a great many application where a three phase volume flow meter, which does not require separation of the fluids, will be of significant economic value. Gas (and therefore 3-phase flow) is present to some extent in virtually all live crude oil handling operations. Particular problems can arise in some situations, such as in offshore, unmanned, primary wellhead production situations where no gas is expected initially. Gas will eventually be produced as it comes out of solution with the water and oil in crude oil due to pipeline pressure drops and with aging of the reservoir. It is important to monitor the production of this gas as well as the rate of increase in gas production.